Hana still doesn’t have liquor license

Hana Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar, which opened at the end of May on Western Avenue near Crossgates Mall, is still without a license to sell alcohol. The restaurant allowed BYOB when it opened — a fact I reported, without thinking twice about it, when I reviewed Hana in August — but that turns out to be illegal*, and the State Liquor Authority denied Hana’s application after hearing of the practice. The agency last week agreed to reconsider. Who knows how long that will take? I wish Hana speedy approval.

* SLA law stipulates that a restaurant may allow, at its discretion, BYOB for only the types of alcohol for which it is licensed. In other words, no bringing spirits into a place with only a beer-and-wine license, and no booze at all into places without any license.